Robbery accused charged for setting Brickdam Police Station on fire

– as GFS concluded fire was act of arson
A 26-year-old man who was arrested for robbery under arms was on Thursday remanded to prison for setting fire to the Brickdam Police Station on Saturday last.
Clarence Greene appeared before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts, where he was arraigned on two indictable charges of armed robbery and arson.

He was represented by Attorneys-at-Law Ronald Daniel and Kiswana Jeffords.
The first charge stated that on October 2, 2021, he robbed Chitrannie Ramkissoon of a cellphone valued $160,000 while being armed with a gun. He was later arrested by Police at Leopold Street, Georgetown.
That same day, while being a prisoner at the Brickdam Police Station lock-ups, he unlawfully set fire to the Police Station. The accused then reportedly raised an alarm and other inmates were evacuated from the lock-ups. He was escorted to the Sparendaam Police Station, then to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and Major Crimes Unit.
After interviewing Greene, Police were able to secure a confession on record, where he admitted to setting the building on fire.
Police Prosecutor Shellon Daniels objected to bail and asked for the charges to remain indictable. As such, Greene was remanded to prison until October 28, 2021.
The fire on Saturday destroyed 80 per cent of the Police Station – which housed the Region Four A Divisional Headquarters.
Among the destroyed facilities were the Property Room, Inquiries Office, Traffic Department and Officers’ Mess. Just the barracks, located at the western end and along Manget Place, remained intact, along with the Impact Building and the lock-ups.
All 16 prisoners within the facility were accounted for. Salvage records were saved, and the station’s arsenal of weapons was secure before the building was completely destroyed.
Guyana Times understands that 398 officers were working from the compound at the time of the fire.
Initial reports from the Guyana Police Force regarding Greene’s confession indicated that the suspect told the Police that he became frustrated after being detained for a long period of time, and he then decided to start the fire. The confession led Police to question all the prisoners at the Brickdam Station at the time of the incident.
Two informants were taken from the Brickdam lock-ups to the Sparendaam Station, where they were placed in a cell with the suspect. During that time in the cell, the suspect allegedly informed the men that it was he who had started the fire which destroyed the Police Station.
The two men said the suspect allegedly told them that he took a piece of sponge, wrapped it on a piece of wire, and lit it with a cigarette lighter before pushing it through a ventilation hole in the cell.
Meanwhile, on Thursday, Fire Prevention Officer Sheldon Sauns said the Guyana Fire Service (GFS) investigation concluded that the fire was an act of arson. This is after debris and other materials were processed from the scene.
“Speaking to the cause of the fire at Brickdam Police Station, I must say that it was a coordinated effort among the Guyana Fire Service and the Guyana Police Force. There were several procedures undertaken in trying to ascertain the cause of that fire. Such procedures would have included interviews, layout of the fire scene and also the collection of debris. At this point, it is concluded that the supposed cause for the Brickdam Police Station fire was suspected arson,” he said.
The samples collected included paper, wood from the building, and a fragment of a lighter. The investigation revealed that the fire started in the second storey at the administrative building, located 1.5 feet away from the lock-ups.
“Feasible information was gathered, coupled with the samples collected, which would have led us to our conclusion,” the Fire Prevention Officer underscored.
Meanwhile, in response to questions about the GFS’s response to the fire, acting Chief Fire Officer Gregory Wickham said, “No two fires are the same. Therefore, the Fire Service always has to be able to improve its fire-fighting strategy.”